(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the field of reducing the rain mist, snow, slush, ice and wheel-spray generated from the rotation of the wheels and/or tandem wheel-sets of a large, heavy vehicle such as transport trucks, tractor trailers, and multi-configured cargo trailers as it travels over a wet roadway surface by providing a housing that screens (or retrofits) the wheel-sets. The housing is affixed between a box-sleeve and a stand-on plate to from a three-dimensionally adjustable housing superstructure connected to a three-dimensionally adjustable support infrastructure that is anchored onto the vehicle framework. It relates more particularly to an improved housing for screening the wheel-set and for increasing the aerodynamics; an adjustable housing superstructure for customizing the positioning of the housing in relation to the wheel-set; an adjustable support infrastructure for customizing the positioning of the apparatus in relation to the wheel-set; an improved fastening means for fastening the housing (and the housing superstructure) onto the support infrastructure and for preventing the fastening means from loosening. The apparatus also provides a replaceable protective shield that renews and protects the exterior surface of the housing side wall.
A roadway surface may become a wet roadway surface due to rain, snow, slush, flooding or any other combinations thereof (the “wet surface”). During these conditions, heavy vehicles generate blinding lateral and rearward wheel-spray beside and behind them as the wheels travel over the wet surface. With increasing vehicle highway speeds, not only does the aerodynamic drag of the vehicle's tandem wheel-sets increase, but the wheel-spray also increases and can include increasingly larger amounts of water and other road surface materials such as ice, slush, rocks, and/or debris which is then discharged into adjacent traffic lanes and onto other vehicles traveling along side or parallel with the heavy vehicle. This discharged wheel-spray is a safety hazard for it reduces the visibility and road safety not only for drivers being passed by the heavy vehicle but also other drivers traveling along side or attempting to pass, and for truck drivers.
Previous devices are not effective in controlling and reducing lateral wheel-spray and fail to effectively block high-speed tire blow-outs from slinging belts of tire tread into other nearby motorists and/or pedestrians. Some current options that may arguably address this issue include using rear mist or mud flaps, or top-over fenders; however, these options do not provide a user with a housing that encloses all sides of the tires facing outward toward other motorists to block lateral wheel-spray or to increase lateral and rearward visibility for both the truck driver and/or the nearby motorists. In this invention, the housing provides a protective barrier against vehicle tire blow-outs that can otherwise send belts of tire tread hurling along the roadway.
Previous devices neither allow a user to customize the positioning of a support infrastructure horizontally, laterally, and vertically in relation to the vehicle frame and the wheel-set, nor allow a user to the customize the positioning of a housing superstructure horizontally, laterally and vertically. It also does not provide a locking mechanism for locking and holding the housing in place. These devices also lack a simple way for quickly and easily installing and removing the housing superstructure to permit complete access to the wheels and undercarriage, and for easy reinstallation from a standing position. Previous devices do not increase vehicle motor and fuel efficiency because they do not reduce the aerodynamic drag created by the front surface of the wheel-set or from the exiting lateral and rearward turbulent wind and water forces that trail off the wheel-set. Previous devices do not provide a replaceable protective shield for renewing and protecting the housing exterior.
There remains a need for a housing that screens over a vehicle's wheel-set to reduce the lateral and rearward wheel-spray by redirecting the wheel-spray away from nearby motorists and toward the center of the vehicle's undercarriage and downwardly toward the ground.
There also remains a need for ease in adjusting a support infrastructure to a universally adaptive and customized position horizontally, laterally and vertically in relation to the wheel-set and the vehicle.
There also remains a need for ease in adjusting a housing superstructure to a universally adaptive and customized position horizontally, laterally and vertically in relation to the wheel-set and the vehicle.
There is also a need for a removable housing superstructure retrofitted over a wheel-set to reduce wheel-spray, and a support infrastructure that may be installed without drilling through or welding the support infrastructure to the vehicle framework.
There also remains a need for a housing superstructure that may be easily installed or removed for emergency roadside maintenance and/or routine shop repair.
There is also a need for a housing, retrofitted over a wheel-set to reduce wheel-spray, that is secured by a locking mechanism including a locking cap having a transplanar bore for rotational engagement with a girder having an externally threaded lateral terminus; a counter-threaded locking bolt inserted into the girder lateral terminus defining a counter-threaded axial bore; and a locking pin interlocked with the bolt further having an aperture, with the pin abutting against the cap further comprising two domed arches. The counterclockwise inward rotational movement of the bolt and pin provide resistance against the counterclockwise outward rotational movement of the locking cap whenever the pin abuts the cap's domed arches, thereby preventing separation of the housing from the support infrastructure.
There is also a need for a housing, retrofitted over a wheel-set to reduce wheel-spray, to include a to side having a plurality of perforations for air-flow and ice evacuation, a forward side having a forward-angled face for reducing aerodynamic drag caused by the exposed tire surface pushing against the wind, and a rearward side having a rearward-angled face for reducing aerodynamic drag created by lateral and rearward turbulent wind and water forcibly exiting behind the wheel-set.
There is also a need for a housing, retrofitted over a wheel-set to reduce wheel-spray, that is connected between box-sleeves and stand-on plates to form a housing superstructure capable of being easily installed, removed and re-installed from a standing position.
There is also a need for a housing superstructure having box-sleeves that creates a protective barrier between the wheel-set and the housing top side against tire tread blow-out debris.
There is also a need for a housing superstructure to include an exterior stand-on plate for reinforcing the top of the housing and for standing on the housing for vehicle inspections and/or maintenance.
There is also a need for a housing having a side-wall exterior surface that will accept a multi-purpose shield that provides a renewable protective surface for the housing.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The following patents are arguably material to the patentability of the invention disclosed herein:
Patent/App. #1st InventorDate of Issue/Publication  491,276WhittumFeb. 7, 18933,721,459LeaMar. 20, 19733,743,343Grote, Sr. et alJul. 3, 19733,860,262GoingsJan. 14, 19753,866,943InnisFeb. 18, 19753,869,617Gaussoin, et alMar. 4, 19753,874,697ThompsonApr. 1, 19753,899,192ReddawayAug. 12, 19753,922,003LeaNov. 25, 19754,124,221GoingsNov. 7, 19784,192,522MorganMar. 11, 19804,205,861Roberts et alJun. 3, 19804,258,929Brandon et alMar. 31, 19814,290,619GoodallSep. 22, 19814,372,570GoodallFeb. 8, 19834,445,700SchroederMay 1, 19844,655,468CunninghamApr. 7, 19874,817,976KingsleyApr. 4, 19894,858,941BeckerAug. 22, 19894,921,276MorinMay 1, 19905,080,397MetcalfJan. 14, 19925,257,822MetcalfNov. 2, 19935,277,444StropkayJan. 11, 19945,375,882Koch IIIDec. 27, 19945,487,565ThompsonJan. 30, 1996US 2010/0066123Ortega et al.Mar. 18, 2010
U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,276 issued to Morin essentially discloses a device for controlling the wet weather spray and splash generated when traveling on a roadway surface. It discloses a fender having a formed, rigid sheet mounted over and covering the wheels or set of wheels of a vehicle, and downwardly covering a small portion of the upper surface of the wheels at its forward and rearward ends. It further discloses a plurality of air intake apertures located in the upper part of the forward, curved end of the sheet to direct air flow from outside the fender to inside the fender and over the covered wheel or set of wheels during forward movement of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,192,522 issued to Morgan essentially discloses a splash and spray control shield for wheels of large vehicles consisting of a unit with side walls that covers the uppermost forward part, over the top of and the uppermost rearward part of the wheel or dual wheels, or wheels of adjacent axles. It also discloses an air collector that is designed to collect and direct the flow of air caused by the forward movement of the vehicle, across the top of the wheels, and rearwardly and downwardly behind the wheel directly to the road surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,262 issued to Goings essentially discloses a housing secured to the side of a vehicle overlying and spaced outwardly from the support of the wheels of the vehicle, having a substantially rigid panel parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and slidably mounted in said housing for vertical sliding movement into and out of the bottom of the housing. It further discloses a means for moving the panels into and out of the housing by using a remote control to activate an electric motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,697 issued to Thompson essentially discloses a shield for controlling the road spray created by a tandem wheeled vehicle traveling on wet pavement. It further discloses a V-shaped support member having a top cover and a side cover secured thereto for the purpose of containing the spray created by the rotating wheels. It discloses that the device is secured to the vehicle frame by means of an arm extending laterally from the inboard side of the support member.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,976 issued to Kingsley essentially discloses a vehicular rain skirt assembly having a locking assembly and spring-loaded pivoting mechanism. It further discloses that the rain skirt assembly can be pivoted upwardly into an inoperative position against the vehicle, projecting laterally from the vehicle body, when not in use. It discloses that the rain skirt can be mounted on the side frame of a conventional heavy vehicle, allowing a driver unobstructed access to the vehicle's running gear when the rain skirt is in its inoperative position. It further discloses mounting brackets and latching mechanisms. The invention discloses the mounting hardware as essentially comprising (including or having) a pair of generally L-shaped, fore and aft metal mounting brackets; each mounting bracket further comprising a vertical planar flange having a pair of “vertically aligned through apertures” which permit permanent, but separable, attachment to the side frame of the truck by means of completely conventional bolt/nut combinations. It further discloses that to permit pivotal attachment of the rain skirt assemblies to the vehicle, each mounting bracket includes a second vertical planar flange normal to the vertical planar flange and on which is integrally mounted a horizontally projecting pivot pin positioned to pass through the uppermost one of three generally vertically oriented, closely spaced, apertures formed in the leading and trailing edges of each of the panels.
None of the cited patents disclose each and every element of Applicant's invention.
Further, none of the cited patents disclose an apparatus comprising:
1. a three-dimensionally adjustable support infrastructure comprising an anchor plate for anchoring the support infrastructure horizontally to the vehicle framework, the anchor plate having a plurality of apertures for receiving two threaded struts for adjusting the support infrastructure laterally and vertically, wherein the anchor plate may be inverted upward or downward; a vertical-lateral plate having two vertical slots for adjustably receiving the struts, and an aperture above the slots for receiving a girder; and the girder having one end rotatably engaged with the vertical-lateral plate aperture, and another end having an externally threaded lateral terminus also defining an internally counter-threaded axial bore for receiving a fastening means;
2. a three-dimensionally adjustable housing superstructure comprising a box-sleeve having an interior chamber for slidably receiving the girder, and two exterior sides defining a plurality of vertical grooves; a housing substantially screening the wheel-set and comprising a forward side having an obtuse-angled forward face and a rearward a having an obtuse-angled rearward face, each for reducing aerodynamic drag; a top side having a plurality of apertures aligned with the vertical grooves and a plurality of perforations for anti-vacuum air flow and/or ice evacuation, and a side wall defining a forward opening for receiving a first girder and a first of the fastening means and a rearward opening for receiving a second girder and a second of the fastening means; and a stand-on plate having a plurality of apertures aligned with the housing apertures and with the vertical grooves for affixing the housing between the box-sleeve and the stand-on plate with a U-bolt terminal securing system; and
3. a fastening means for fastening the housing superstructure to the girder, the fastening means comprising a cap having two domed arches and an internally threaded transplanar bore for rotational engagement with the lateral terminus of the girder; a counter-threaded bolt having a diameter smaller than the transplanar bore, a length sufficient to rotationally engage the axial bore of the girder while inserted through the transplanar bore, a head larger than the girder axial bore for abutting against the girder axial bore, with the bolt head defining a pin-aperture; and a pin inserted through the bolt pin-aperture.
Also, none of the cited patents disclose an apparatus wherein the housing superstructure can be easily removed and reinstalled as one unit from the girder nor an apparatus for reducing vehicle vibration transferred to the housing superstructure. It also does not have a first attenuation ring, such as a pre-load compression X-ring spacer, located between the box-sleeve and the vertical-lateral plate for reducing vibration from the vehicle framework through support infrastructure to the housing superstructure, nor a second vibration block is a second attenuation ring, such as a post-load O-ring spacer, compressed between the box-sleeve and the housing, for reducing vibration between the box-sleeve and the housing. It also does not discloses a tightening tool, such as a customized wrench, having a convex exterior surface, a handle having a handgrip, and a plurality of prongs protruding from the tool to rotationally engage with the cap slots. Furthermore, these patents do not disclose a housing formed from an anti-electrostatic composition, or a means for attaching a multi-purpose replaceable protective shield for protecting and renewing the housing side wall exterior surface.